It's never made a great deal of sense to me why so many self-described Christian conservatives have ardently fought to defund Planned Parenthood. Granted, the family planning facility does provide abortion services, however, only 3% of their spending goes to these procedures, while 97% of it goes to improving women's health and preventing the need for abortions.
The Texas Policy Evaluation Project furthered my perplexion regarding the matter, as they recently released a study proving my point. After the Lone Star State stripped Planned Parenthood of its funding in 2013, here's what happened:
- 35% decline in IUD and implant claims
- 27% spike in births
One of the authors of the study, Amanda Jean Stevenson, said this about their findings:
"The U.S. continues to have higher rates of unintended pregnancies than most rich nations, and we know that U.S. and Texas women face barriers as they try to access preventative services. It's a public health issue that Texas women struggle to achieve their reproductive goals."
Abortion isn't a pleasant procedure and I can understand why some may hold a partial dislike for Planned Parenthood due to the facilities providing them. However, let's stop being naive and start being more realistic on the matter. Whether abortions are legal or illegal, they are going to take place, so why not try to decrease their frequency without stripping away women's reproductive rights? How can we do that? Simple. Education and contraception. Comprehensive sex education courses have proven to be much more effective than abstinence-only courses in preventing unwanted pregnancies, and with that, abortions. The same is true with regard to access to contraception. The more couples properly utilize contraception, the fewer unwanted pregnancies and abortions will take place. Planned Parenthood provides both, and while these family planning facilities may provide abortions, without their presence, there would be a great number more abortions. If one is truly "pro-life," they should be pro-Planned Parenthood.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/02/04/3746113/study-texas-planned-parenthood-defund/
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1511902
The Texas Policy Evaluation Project furthered my perplexion regarding the matter, as they recently released a study proving my point. After the Lone Star State stripped Planned Parenthood of its funding in 2013, here's what happened:
- 35% decline in IUD and implant claims
- 27% spike in births
One of the authors of the study, Amanda Jean Stevenson, said this about their findings:
"The U.S. continues to have higher rates of unintended pregnancies than most rich nations, and we know that U.S. and Texas women face barriers as they try to access preventative services. It's a public health issue that Texas women struggle to achieve their reproductive goals."
Abortion isn't a pleasant procedure and I can understand why some may hold a partial dislike for Planned Parenthood due to the facilities providing them. However, let's stop being naive and start being more realistic on the matter. Whether abortions are legal or illegal, they are going to take place, so why not try to decrease their frequency without stripping away women's reproductive rights? How can we do that? Simple. Education and contraception. Comprehensive sex education courses have proven to be much more effective than abstinence-only courses in preventing unwanted pregnancies, and with that, abortions. The same is true with regard to access to contraception. The more couples properly utilize contraception, the fewer unwanted pregnancies and abortions will take place. Planned Parenthood provides both, and while these family planning facilities may provide abortions, without their presence, there would be a great number more abortions. If one is truly "pro-life," they should be pro-Planned Parenthood.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/02/04/3746113/study-texas-planned-parenthood-defund/
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1511902
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